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Tragedy hits Ingrid Betancourt’s saviour

Of the many people thanked by Ingrid Betancourt for their roles in her rescue, including President Elvaro Uribe, none meant more to her than a jug-eared army corporal, a fellow hostage who saved her life in the jungle then emerged from captivity last week to news of a family tragedy.

A video of the hostages' wild celebrations aboard the Colombian military helicopter that was flying them to safety shows Betancourt in tears, joyfully hugging Corporal William Perez, the man who became her closest companion for the last three years of her ordeal.

In her first public appearance on Wednesday, Betancourt shyly took the arm of the 33-year-old corporal and told a media horde: "I want to recognise him specially, because if it were not for William, I would not be here today."

Perez was seized by guerrillas in 1998, but it was not until four years ago that he first